Payment/Delivery Options

Base Miles Calculation

Additional Bonus Miles will be allocated for a journey in Business or First Class.

Any promotional bonus miles is not included in the display.

Voyager Base Miles displayed may differ from the Miles allocated in Voyager, depending on the final reservation. As a SAA Voyager member, you will receive these Miles on completion of your journey.Please ensure your Voyager number is inserted when completing your traveller details.

ABOUT TAX INVOICES

After requesting your Tax Invoice online ,a PDF document will be e-mailed to you within 72 hours,to the e-mail address provided.

If a Tax Invoice has been successfully generated from the South African Airways Tax Invoice System, the onus rests on the recipient to ensure that his/her mailbox has enough space to receive an e-mail - with a PDF attachment; and that his//her service provider or exchange server allows for delivery of such e-mails. South African Airways, can not take responsibility for undelivered e-mails due to any other reasons beyond our control including the above.

Prescribed details required from the South African Revenue Service on a tax invoices

Tax invoices must ordinarily reflect all the following details (Section 20(4)):

Infants do not qualify for Voyager miles.

Additional Bonus Miles will be allocated for a journey in Business or First Class.

Any promotional bonus miles is not included in the display.

Voyager Base Miles displayed may differ from the Miles allocated in Voyager, depending on the final reservation. As a SAA Voyager member, you will receive these Miles on completion of your journey.Please ensure your Voyager number is inserted when completing your traveller details.

SAA Customer Service

At South African Airways, we value our customers and we want to ensure that every interaction you have with us will be a positive experience and of the highest service standard.

We are committed to providing you with responsive and meaningful customer service and will endeavour to meet your expectations every time you fly with SAA. Our employees are therefore dedicated to being the best.

Customer Service Charter

Our Customer Service Charter clearly states our service commitment to you as a valued customer and the service you can rightfully expect when interacting with us. These commitments will be built into our training programs; our business processes; and measured through our performance management systems.

Our Service Commitment

To provide uncompromising service offerings to our valued customers that will be personalised, consistent, efficient and professional.

It is our endeavour to inspire the world with the warmest African hospitality, in every detail, every time by embracing thevalues below:

Warm and welcoming

Embracing diversity

Devotion to detail

Uncompromising standards

Readiness to listen and react

Innovative and inspiring spirit

When dealing with us, we will always:

Be friendly, polite and courteous.

Give you our full attention for the duration of the interaction.

Treat you honestly and fairly, with respect and diplomacy.

Be equally available and accessible to all our customers.

Be knowledgeable about our products, services and relevant policies and procedures.

Proactive and provide accurate, timely information and advice.

Provide a prompt, professional service that meets your expectations.

We will Never Compromise on Safety

Safety will always be of paramount importance to us. We will never do anything that undermines this core commitment to our customers.

Offering the Most Suitable Fare Available

At the time of making a reservation directly with us via our website, reservations centre and airport ticket desk, we will offer the most suitable fare available for the date, time and travel class that meets your individual needs.

As lower fares usually have less flexibility and may be partially or completely non-refundable, our trained customer service agents and website will inform or notify you of terms and conditions pertaining to the fare quoted or inform you of other available fares that may better suit your specific needs.

Advising of Known Delays, Cancellations and Diversions

We aim to get you to your destination on time. However, occasionally operational or meteorological situations or unforeseen circumstances, require us to change the scheduled departure and arrival dates and/or times.

We will try and minimise the inconvenience caused to you by:

Providing full and timely information on the status of known delays, cancellations and diversions within 30 minutes of SAA becoming aware of the change in the status of the flight.

Posting the changes on our flight status pages on www.flysaa.com.

Doing our best to contact you in advance, using the contact information in your reservation.

If you are already at the airport, we will notify you via:

Updated airport information boards.

Announcements by ground staff.

Announcements at boarding gates and approximate holding areas.

Extending Essential Needs During Lengthy Tarmac Delays

On rare occasions, safety considerations such as weather, air traffic control, operations or other factors may cause a lengthy on-board delay either prior to take off or after landing. In the event of such a delay, we will take all reasonable steps to ensure you are kept up to date with the latest information available. For significant on-board delays, where safety and security restrictions allow, we will ensure your essential needs are met by providing drinking water, on-board lavatory services and access to basic medical assistance should it be required.

Providing On-Time Baggage Delivery

We encourage you to place your contact information both on the inside and outside of all checked and carry-on baggage.

It is always our intention to deliver your baggage on time on arrival at your destination. However, there are occasions when bags are not delivered on time. If your baggage does not arrive at your destination; it is important that you go directly to our Baggage Service desk or make contact with one of our airport staff members to assist in opening mishandling incident reports.

Once a report is filed, we will make every reasonable effort to find your baggage and return it to you as soon as possible. If your baggage is delayed more than 24 hours, we will cover your immediate, essential needs, as detailed under Offering a Fair Baggage Settlement below, while you wait for your baggage to arrive.

We will attempt to contact any person named on a bag when we find an unclaimed, checked bag that contains a name and address or a contact number.

Offering a Fair Baggage Settlement

While you wait for your delayed baggage, we will make every reasonable effort to minimize your inconvenience. If you are not a resident of the country you have arrived in, we will reimburse you for reasonable expenses that you may incur when buying essential items, using the following guidelines:

Reimbursement for essential items will be considered upon submission of receipts. Unfortunately, no reimbursement will be made without receipts.

The below interim expense allowance, is paid per customer travelling on a SAA operated flight, for a maximum of five days:

Economy Class passengers are entitled to 75 USD (or equivalent local currency) per day; and

Business Class passengers are entitled to 100 USD (or equivalent local currency) per day.

We commit to providing a fair and equitable settlement to cover losses that you may incur due to lost or damaged baggage. The total liability for a piece of baggage checked is limited by the Warsaw convention or Montreal convention, whichever is applicable based on your itinerary.

We will compensate you for reasonable, documented and verifiable damages up to the limit of liability. Anything of significant value should be packed in your carry-on baggage, including electronic devices, computer equipment, cameras, and jewellery. Our Conditions of Carriage outlines specific items that are excluded from liability if you check them in your baggage.

Processing Prompt Refunds

We will provide prompt refunds for eligible tickets once we receive your request accompanied by all required documentation. If your ticket is eligible for a refund as per the rules of the fare you have purchased, we will refund the appropriate amount to you according to the original form of payment. Refunds for tickets purchased directly with SAA will be processed within 21 business days on receipt of your complete refund submission. If you book and pay for your ticket through a travel agent, you must apply to them for your refund.

You may request a refund by contacting our Reservations Call Centre on +27 (0) 11 978 1111 during office hours, weekdays 08h00 to 16h30 (GMT). If you have purchased your ticket online you can e-mail your request to onlinerefunds@flysaa.com. In submitting your request, please ensure to provide the passenger’s name, the address, the credit card number used for purchase, ticket number(s), and the date of travel and departure and destination cities in your correspondence.

Assisting with Special Needs

We are dedicated to offering convenient and comfortable service to all our customers. We offer a full range of services to customers who require additional assistance such as medical assistance, mobility assistance, travelling with infant or unaccompanied minors.

To ensure the best possible service, please let us know about the type of assistance you require as soon as you book your flight or no later than 72 hours before departure. If you make your flight booking online, please call our Reservations Call Centre to advise us of any special assistance you may require.

Prior authorisation is also required for children travelling alone which must be obtained through our Reservations call Centre at least 72 hours prior to departure.

You can find out more about the services we offer for customers with special needs by visiting the Special Assistance section on this website.

Handling Oversold Flights with Fairness and Consistency

SAA, like most airlines, sometimes overbook flights. We do this because often passengers holding confirmed reservations change their plans without cancelling their reservation or don’t turn up for their flight. When a flight is overbooked, it doesn’t necessarily mean that customers with reservations will not be accommodated on their flight. In fact, the majority of overbooked flights depart with all the customers who have reservations and are present for departure.

On rare occasions, more customers with confirmed reservations are present than seats available. In this instance, we first seek volunteers, willing to give up their seats in exchange for compensation and a seat on the next available flight.

If there are insufficient volunteers, we will deny boarding customers in accordance with our company policy on boarding priority. We will also provide you with a written statement that explains our obligations and your rights as a customer of South African Airways. Customer’s rights vary per country of departure and are in accordance with the applicable regulations and/or acts enforced.

Disclosing Terms and Conditions

We aim to provide you with as much information as possible about the policies and procedures that may affect your travel. This means providing clear information about important terms and conditions that apply to your ticket fare, including cancellation policies, aircraft type scheduled to be operated on the route and the seating configuration thereto; and terms and conditions of our frequent flyer programme, SAA Voyager.

As such, these policies are available on our website; and on request through our reservations centre; and our representatives at the airport.

Ensure Responsiveness to Customer Complaints

Feedback is critical to help us improve our customers’ experience. When customers have complaints or concerns, we will respond promptly. Under normal circumstances, we will acknowledge receipt of written complaints within 24 hours and we will provide a substantive response within 10 days of receiving your written complaint. Responses to complaints of a more serious nature will be determined by the level of the required investigative process. Follow this link for details on how to send us your feedback.

Protecting Your Personal Information

We respect your personal information and treat it with the utmost security. You have the right to verify and correct the personal information we hold about you and we will respond to your request within 10 business days. Find out more about our privacy policy.

Supporting Environmental Initiatives

SAA is committed to being an environmentally responsible organisation in all our business activities. We aim to minimise the environmental impact of our operations and have targets and commitments to guide our performance. Find out more about our environmental commitments..

Complaints or compliments

At SAA, we strive to provide you with the highest standard of customer service. We embrace all feedback, both positive and negative. We are committed to offering you the best experience every time you fly with us. Your valued feedback will assist us in achieving this. You can contact one of our highly skilled customer service agents in one of the following ways

Alternatively, should you wish to contact a Customer Service representative in your country, please click on the ‘Contact Information’ link in the Related Links box displayed on the right.”
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience with us.